SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Shopping
Give Me Some Smart Shopping Tips
How
To Furnish Your Home on the Cheap
Do you have a college student in your family?
Are you trying to furnish a room in your home? Perhaps you
are living on a shoestring budget and still need something
to sit on, sleep on, or store your books on. In the past, furnishing
your home on the cheap meant having to purchase the pasteboard
offerings of the local big box stores – you know the kinds
of furniture they sell: cheaply made, edges not lining up,
and with about as much durability as a pair of cheap running
socks.
Actually there are a number of thoughtful shopping tips for
furnishing your home on the cheap!
Think
floor models. Did you know that many furniture retailers
frequently sell their floor models for pennies on the dollar?
These items cannot be sold as new, might have a bit of light
wear and tear – nothing you could not fix with a bit of finesse
and a wood-colored pencil – and may sometimes miss the original
packaging it came in. Yet when you are looking for a bookshelf,
it does not really matter if you can get the original packaging.
After all, you will not be taking it down and reassembling
it over and over again.
Visit
estate sales. These sales are held – most often – by
professional companies who are called in to liquidate the assets
of someone who may either have died, or who may be going into
an assisted living situation where most of the furniture will
not taken along. These sales oftentimes feature well-made furniture
that can be had at pennies on the dollar, as long as you provide
your own haul away service. Bring a friend who owns a truck,
and you might leave with a wonderful bed and bedroom set for
a couple hundred dollars!
Visit
a live auction. Once again, bring along your friend
with the truck! Furnishings may be had there because the auction
might be a police auction, it might be a charity of fundraising
auction, or simply a public auction. Generally speaking, you
will be able to preview what will be auctioned off, and if
you see something you like, it is not a bad idea to make a
detailed note of the items. On the day of the auction, determine
how much you are willing to spend on the item, and exercise
extreme discipline if the purchase price goes over your limit.
Attend
moving sales. Usually held like garage sales, the realtor
often puts on these sales and you will be able to get great
deals on bulky items the family simply does not want to take
along to their new home.
Restore
furniture. Drive through the alleys in the well-to-do
neighborhoods, and you will be surprised at the kinds of furniture
you will find. Old desks, chairs, and even dressers are yours
for the taking! If you are handy with a sander, a bit of wood
glue, and some paint of stain, you will be able to add some
beautifully restored furniture to your home!
Shop
your local warehouse store. Oftentimes these stores have
great deals on selected furniture items, but act quickly! These
stores will quickly sell out of their inventories and most
often these deals only happen once, not on a continuous basis.
As you can see, shopping for furniture does not mean that
you will have to spend a mint at your local furniture store.
Similarly, you do not have to resign yourself to second and
third-rate furniture from your big box stores that will be
more aggravation than it is really worth. Plan your shopping
trip carefully, do not be afraid to ask for bargains, and you
will be surprised what you will find!
# # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2008
> Home > Shopping
Tips: Main Page
|
